Wednesday, December 30, 2009

I've been making muttered noises under my on-line breath about my next 'project' for quite a while now.

In fact, the Two E's (pictured above) and me have already slogged our way through a few warm-up sessions in preparation for it's imminent arrival, which we've decided to call 'Our Year of Busking Dangerously'.

Anyway.

As per usual, Paul Willcocks has been paying attention to all this guitar-whispering.

As a result, Paul left a comment downthread that flummoxed me because it says absolutely everything about why I want to give this thing a try.

We had an accordion around last December, holding it for return to its rightful owner. She played - wronghanded for a while - then bought her own and played more and then took to the streets.

What she liked was that people enjoyed, but didn't watch like it was a recital. She also liked playing on docks and in parks by the water.

The best, I think, was on a spring road trip in the RV.

We hiked in Yosemite, then went to Death Valley. She headed into the desert at sunset to play. After a while, a father and grown son appeared out of the brush to listen. Their wife and mother had died 10 years earlier of cancer. She loved the desert, and they hadn't been able to come back to Death Valley until then. They had just scattered her ashes and then heard the accordion drifting on the wind and followed the sound. They stood and listened to three or four songs as the sun went down."

Instead, I just want to play with my two kids before they get too old and/or too smart to partake in any of my ridiculous obsessions anymore.

I also want to have a chance, while strumming, throw them a smile and a not-so-all-knowing-wink while we strain to hit a harmony that only we can hear.

And if one single, solitary kindred spirit stops by to offer up a nod or even just a quick tap the toe for a moment or two before moving on.....

Well?

That will be the icing on the best homemade cake ever.

OK?

_____Update: Mr. Willcocks' partner, Jody Paterson has an Op-Ed piece in the the Victoria Times-Colonist today that just about says it all. I wrote the bit of flim-flammery above before I read Ms. Paterson's fantastic story of music and magic and the sheer joy of having your kids do it with you. Read her story, in full, here.